U.S. warns Pakistan on Kashmir polls

U.S. warns Pakistan on Kashmir polls

Agencies, Washington/Islamabad/New Delhi

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Monday that Washington had warned Pakistan not to interfere in looming elections in Indian-ruled Kashmir.

Powell also signaled, as he hosted Indian Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha, that the United States was still pressuring Pakistan, its close ally in its campaign against terrorism, to rein in militants in the divided region.

Powell and Sinha met to lay the groundwork for a meeting between President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee at the United Nations this week.

They met after authorities in Indian Kashmir accused Pakistan of hiring local militants to disrupt phased legislative assembly polls which start on Sept. 16.

"I reaffirmed to the Minister that we have spoken to the Pakistanis about not interfering in any way with those elections, which we expect will be free and fair," said Powell.

A Muslim militant group said on Tuesday it would continue killing supporters of a "sham" election starting next Monday in the Indian zone of disputed Kashmir.

"We not only stand by our announcement to disrupt the mock polls but we are vigorously implementing it," said Abdur Rafia, a senior leader of the Jamiatul Mujahedin group.

Rafia said his group had killed and would continue to kill all those taking part in or willingly supporting the "sham exercise."

Sinha later said at a press conference that New Delhi was committed to holding "free, fair, peaceful and lucid elections in Kashmir."

But in an oblique reference to Pakistan, India's age-old foe, he added: "Naturally our neighbor has an important role to play."

In New Delhi, India's defense minister George Fernandes on Tuesday accused Pakistan of trying to disrupt the upcoming elections in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.

He said incidents of heavy shelling by Pakistani troops in Kashmir's northern Kargil region in recent days were evidence of the attempted sabotage of the polls, taking place in four phases between Sept. 16 and Oct. 8.

"These are signs that even Pakistani forces are getting involved in moves to disrupt the polls," Fernandes was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India (PTI).

In Islamabad, Pakistan on Tuesday hit back at the Indian foreign minister after he described next month's Pakistani general election as a "sham".

"It is an irresponsible statement bordering on desperation," Foreign Office spokesman Aziz Ahmed Khan told AFP.

Sinha told Britain's Financial Times in an interview published on Tuesday: "Pakistan has had a sham referendum (in April) and is now having sham elections."

Islamabad is worried that India may take advantage of any U.S.-led military assault on Iraq to quietly attack Pakistan, Pakistan's ambassador to the United Nations said on Monday.

"A lot of our friends have asked about what would happen if there is an attack on Iraq by an international coalition. I think a more relevant question is what would happen if India were to take a pre-emptive strike on Pakistan. That is our fear," envoy Munir Akram said.

He was responding to a reporter who asked at a media luncheon whether Pakistan feared it might be destabilized by a U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.